The war diary of Volodymyr Vakulenko was recovered from the Izium region in September 2022 by Victoria Amelina, a novelist who turned her investigative focus toward documenting Russian war crimes. Born in Lviv in 1986, Amelina transitioned from a career in computer programming to a dedicated life of literature, prose, and activism before her death in 2023.
From Computer Science to Fiction
After completing a degree in computer science at Lviv Polytechnic, Amelina worked in the information technology sector for several years. Her career trajectory shifted toward full-time writing in 2015 with the publication of her debut novel, The Fall Syndrome, or Homo Compatiens, which explored the 2014 Maidan events. In 2016, she published the children's book Somebody, or Water Heart, followed by the novel Dom's Dream Kingdom in 2017. The latter work, centered on the former apartment of Stanisław Lem, established her reputation as a sharp observer of Ukrainian history and memory.
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Amelina was an active member of PEN Ukraine and a delegate to the 84th World PEN Congress in India, where she advocated for the release of Oleg Sentsov. In 2021, she founded a literature festival in the Donetsk region. During this period, she received the Joseph Conrad Literary Award. Her writing expanded to include poetry, which she believed captured the stark, condensed reality of conflict. Following the Russian invasion, she utilized her skills as a storyteller to interview witnesses as a researcher for the organization Truth Hounds.
Final Work and Legacy
Before her death, Amelina was awarded a residency in Paris to finalize her non-fiction book, Looking at Women Looking at War. This work, which documented women pursuing justice during wartime, was approximately 60 percent complete when she was struck by an Iskander missile at RIA Pizza in Kramatorsk on 27 June 2023. She died at the Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro on 1 July 2023. Posthumously, the book was completed by editors using her notes and received the Orwell Prize for Political Writing in 2025.
Fast facts
- Born: 1986, Lviv
- Died: 2023, Dnipro
- Education: Lviv Polytechnic
- Primary Occupation: Writer, war crimes researcher
- Burial Site: Lychakiv Cemetery
- Key Award: Orwell Prize for Political Writing (2025)
- Languages: English, Russian, Ukrainian
Questions readers ask
What was the subject of Victoria Amelina's final book?
Looking at Women Looking at War is a non-fiction diary documenting the experiences of various women pursuing justice amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Where is Victoria Amelina buried?
She is buried at the Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv.
Did Amelina have a background in science?
Yes, she held a degree from Lviv Polytechnic and worked in the IT sector before pursuing a full-time literary career in 2015.
Achievements
- Order of Merit (Ukraine), 3rd class
- Norwegian Authors Union Freedom of Expression Prize — 2024
- Orwell Prize for Political Writing — 2025
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